Method of rolling cylindrical work stock



March 5, 1946. r. v. BUCKWALTER ET AL 2,396,081

METHOD OF ROLLING CYLINDRICAL WORK STOCK s Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed March 12, 1940 .nbm

633$ ATTOR March 5,1946. T. v. BUCKWALTER ET AL 2,396,081

' METHOD OF ROLLING CYLINDRICAL WORK STOCK Original Filed March 12, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 fwr -jl] 1 g M. L%1T wgfiwwm- MW March 1946- T. v. BUCKWALTER ET AL METHOD OF ROLLING CYLINDRICAL WORK STOCK Original Filed March 12, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Mai-.5, 1946' um'rEo STATES PAT T [op-rice 2.396.081 f. ommon or nonnl iy g c i imbnical. woax ken Roller Bearing Company,

corporation of Ohio Canton, Ohio, a

Original application March 12, 1940, serial No.

323,520, now Patent No. 2,388,249, dated November 6, 1945.

Divided and this application July 11, 1942, Serial No. 451,291;-

1 Claim.

Our invention is an improved method of rolling substantially cylindrical work stock, such as tubes or bars, to reduce and elongate spaced sections of lengths of stock at a single heat to render them suitable for special uses, such, for example, as the manufacture of automobile front axles as set out in the patent to T. V. Buckwalter, No. 2,227,436, o the manufacture of railway car axles requiring a section of large diameter to receive the wheel hub at one endof the journal bearing and a flanged or enlarged section at the opposite end of the journal bearing.

In accordance with our invention, a length of stock is subjected alternately to pressure exerted radially of its center line and to pressure exerted diagonally'of its center line to simultaneously squeeze and advance the stock, such pressures =being exerted by spheroidal or barrelshaped rollers arranged with their centers at the corners of an isosceles triangle transverse to the axis of the work and thus providing a polygon of forces centering the work between the rollers. Preferably such pressures are applied to substantially cylindrical stock which is rotated by the engagement therewith of a rotating spheroidal surface or surfaces having an axis or axes substantially parallel with the axis of thestock I to the stock during the former part of the opera-' tion of the respective rolls mounted therein. The

projections of the axes of the respective mount-.

ings intersect at a point preferably in the horizontal center line of the mill.

One or more of the working rolls are rotated on their axes of rotation from a suitable source of power so as to rotate a length of cylindrical work stock placed between the rolls and the pressure applied thereto may be varied by moving ,the mounting of one or more rolls longitudinally along the axis of such mounting or mountings. When the axes of all the working rolls are parallel with the axis vof the work, or.

on the stock simultaneously squeezes the stock and imparts a forward creeping motion thereto. Consequently the channel is widened, the stock elongated, and the work advanced untilthe roll mountings are again turned on their. axes so that v the axes of rotation of the rolls lie parallelwlth the mills center line.

The straightening of the rolls, after a' desired length of stock has been rolled, is preferably tion along an annular circumferential path and conversion thereof into pressure applied radially and along an annular path extending circumferentially around the work.

Our method may be conveniently practiced by means of the rolling mill described in our application Serial No. 323,520, filed March 12, 1940, comprising a series of working rolls arranged about the horizontal center line of the mill along which the work stock progresses during treatment. The working surfaces of the rolls are .substantially spheroidal or barrel shaped; their contour being generated by the rotation of an are 1 about an axis of rotation. The rolls are journalled'in mountings iournalled in themill frame and turning on axes normal to the axes of rotaeffected automatically under the control of the advance of the rolled stock without interrupting the rotation of the working rolls which make an annular curved shoulderat the end of the reduced section. The positioning of the stock for I starting the several rollingoperations may be conveniently gauged by suitable stops movable into and out of the path of movement of the work;

The characteristic features and advantages of our method will more fully appear from the following description thereof when practiced with apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawing's which also illustrate work stock in various stages after the application of steps of our method. a

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a part sectional side elevation'of a rolling mill with which our method may be'practi'ced'; though it will be understood I that our method may be practiced manually or with the aid of other machines; Fig. 2 is a. front end, elevation of the mill to which the stock may befed in practicing our method; Fig.3 is'a top faces of caps 33 bolted to the arms 32.

planview of the mill; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary rear end elevation of a skew ring; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary end elevation of the skew ring operating means; Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic side elevation of mechanism for driving one or more of the mill rollers; Fig. 7 is a longitudinal view of an axle blank after rolling according to our method: Fig. 8 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view illustrating the beginning of the first of a series of rolling operations in making the axle blank shown in Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view illustrating the completion of the first rolling operation; Fig. 10 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view illustrating the beginning of a second rolling operation spaced axially from the initially rolled section of the work: Fig. 11 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view v illustrating the finishing of the second rolling operation; Fig. 12 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view illustrating the beginning of a third rolling complementary faces form seats for the boxes or brasses 34 in which are Journall'ed the cylindrical trunnions 35 of a spheroidal or barrel-shaped roller 36 similar to the rollers 2| and 22. By loosening the bolt and the lock-nut 28, the bushing 26 may be rotated to raise or lower the mounting of the roller 33 without turning the stem 29 so as to vary the clearance between the rolls and permit free movement of the stock between the rolls or the application of any desired pressure to the stock.

Brackets 3], 38 and 39 are bolted to and project inwardly from the main frame' and support a track 40 containing a cylindrical peripheral groove in which is seated a cylindrical ring 4|. The ring 4| has three sets of ears projecting from the periphery thereof and forming equi-distant sockets 42, 43 and 44 in which are housed the spherical ends of bolts 45, 48 and 41 screwed respectively into the inner ends of the heads i2 and 3|. The ring has a weighted lever arm 48 projecting radially therefrom by which it is biased on the track so as to tend to turn the heads II, I: and 3| about their axes and skew the axes of the rolls 2|, 22 and 36 respectively to the horizontal center line of the mill.

The rolling mill illustrated in the drawings I and forming the subject matter of our application Serial No. 323,520, now Patent No. 2,388,249, granted Nov. 6, 1945 (whereof the present application is a division), has an integral main frame comprising a base I, standards or cheeks 2 and 3 and a cross-head 4 connecting the upper ends of the standards or checks 2 and 3.

One or more of the rolls 2|, 22 and 36 may be rotated in any suitable manner, as for instance 7 through the driving mechanism illustrated dia- The cheeks 2 and 3 contain respectively boxes 5 and 3 having caps and 8 bolted thereto and forming therewith cylindrical seats for journals 9 and I0 having axes converging toward a center in the horizontal center line of the mill. The journals have flanged heads H and I2 which bear against the ends of the boxes and have pairs of yoke-like arms i3 and I4 at the ends thereof.

Caps I5 and I3 are bolted tothe arms I3 and I4 and have concave inner faces complementary to the concave outer faces of the arms I3 and |4to form cradles or pillows for the brasses l1 and I8 which provide bearings for pairs of end trunnions l3 and 20 of working rolls 2| and 22.

The axes of the rolls 2| and 22 extend substantially parallel with the horizontal center line of the mill and transversely to the axes of the journals aand Ill. The surfaces of the rolls 2| and 22 are preferably barrel-shaped or spheroidal, viz., the surface contours thereof are generated by the revolution of a circular arc about the axis of each pair of cylindrical trunnions l9 and 20 so that the round periphery of the body of each roll is convexed axially thereof.

The head 4 has bolted thereto a cap 23 and complementary concave surfaces of the crosshead and cap form a pillow-block for the internally threaded fixed nut or flanged box 24 which is held against rotation within the pillow-block by dowels 25. The nut 24 has screwed therein an externally threaded bushing 23 having a flange 21 on its lower end and a lock nut 28 on the portion thereof projecting above the nut 24.

A stem 29 is rotatably secured in the bushing 26 by the bolt 33 and has a flanged head 3| provided with a pair of arms 32 at the ends thereof.

The top surface of the head 3| is engaged by the bushing flange 21 and the arms 32 have concave lower faces complementary to the concave upper These grammatically in Fig. 6, and comprising an electric motor 49 which is connected, through a flexible coupling 50, with a speed change box 5| which is connected through a universal joint 52 with a shaft 53. The shaft 53 may be connected through an suitable coupling with an outer trunnion IQ of one of the rollers, as, for instance, the roller 2|. The shaft 53 may be connected by a suitable sprocket wheel 53' and sprocket chain 54 with a suitable sprocket or sprockets, not shown, fixed to the outer ends of the trunnions of one or more of the other two rolls. Preferably, only the two lower rolls are positively driven where the'upper mill roll is vertically adjustable, as in the example hereinbefore described.

When the rolls are rotated with their axes parallel to the horizontal center line of the mill, the work remains stationary axially in the position to which it has been adjusted by any suitable means and a concave annular channel is squeezed in the stock and curved shoulders are formed between the bottom of the channel and adjacent stock sections of larger diameter. When the rolls have been skewed by means of the mechanism above described so that their axes lie diagonally to the horizontal center line of the mill the rotation of the rolls feeds the work through the mill and widens the initially formed channel by squeezing pressure against one shoulder thereof. To provide means for controlling the position of and for feeding of the work, there may be provided positioning and controlling mechanisms mounted on sub-frames 55, 58 and 51 behind the gagement of shoulders 63 of the sleeve 60 with steps of a bearing 8|b. A longitudinally movable bolt or slide 85 is housed in the housing 58 and may be advanced or retracted by means of the handle 88 projecting through a slot 81 in the housing 58. The lower edge of the slot 81 may be provided with notches such as 88 and 88a in which the shank of the handle 88 may be seated to prevent inadvertent movement of the bolt 85.

A stop lever 88 has its hub sleeved on the shaft GI and may be rocked by means of a handle 18 to move its stop face 1| into or out of alignment with the path of work A traveling along the horizontal center line of the mill. The throw of the lever 88 is limited by the engagement of shoulders 12 with steps on the bearing 8|c.

When the housing '58 is rocked upward so that the bolt 85 is aligned with the horizontal center line of the machine, the front face of such bolt provides a gauge for the positioning of the work A in either of two positions, determined by the location of the handle 88, and when the housing 58 is rocked downward and the lever 88 is rocked upward the stop face 1| provides a third gauge for positioning work A along the horizontal center line of the mill.

The skew controlling mechanism comprises a slide 13 slidable rectilineally in a slideway of the sub-frame 51. An extension on the inner end of the slide 13 forms an upper rest 14 and a lower rest 15 for the weighted arm 48; these rests being connected by the inclined surface 18. When the arm 48 rests on the upper rest 14,, the ring 4| is positioned to straighten the rolls, and when the arm 48 rests on the lower rest 15, the ring 4| is positioned to skew the rolls.

The slide 13 is manually reciprocable, to lower or elevate the arm 48, by a lever 11 which is fulcrumed on a fixed bearing 18 of the frame 58 and has at the end thereof an elongated slot 18 for the pin 88 of the slide 18.

The slide 13 is automatically movable inward, to raise the arm 48 and straighten the rolls, by a lever 8| fulcrumed on a fixed bearing 82 on a bracket of the sub-frame 51. The work end of the lever 8| is adapted to engage and thrust a stud 83 on the slide 13 and the power end of the lever 8| is operable by a bolt or cylindrical slide 84 which is longitudinally movable in a cylindrical slideway 85 of the sub-frame 55.

. The bolt 84 may be manually manipulated by a handle 88 projecting through a notched slot 81 in the housing. A crank arm 84a is fixed to the inner end of the bolt 84 and the extremity of the crank arm may be turned arcuately through the handle 88 and bolt 84 into and out of alignment with the center line of the machine and the work A moving along such line. When the crank arm is aligned with the work, the advance of the latter retracts the bolt 84 and rocks the lever 8| to shift the slide 18 and raise the arm 48. Thus the forward movement of the work interrupts the application of rolling pressure to the work along a helical path and causes the application of rolling pressure along an annular path around the circumference of the work.

The slide 13 is similarly operable by a lever 88 fulcrumed on a swinging bearing 88a of the subframe 58. The work and of this lever is normally biased by a spring 80 above the plane of the stud 88 of the slide 18, with the power end of the lever below the center line of the mill. When the power end of the lever 88 is rocked upward into the path of an advancing piece or work, the

continued advance of the work rocks the lever 88 horizontally into engagement with the stud 88 to thrust the slide 18 into roll-straightening position, with resulting change in the direction of application of rolling pressure to the work.

The slide 18 is further operable by a lever 8| fulcrumed on a swinging bearing 82 of the subframe 58. This lever is normally biased by a spring 88 so thatits depending end 84 lies in the plane of the slide 18. Consequently when advancing work strikes the power end of this lever, which lies normally in the center line of the mill, the slide 18 is engaged by the end 84 and shifted to roll-straightening position. This lever may be rocked downward against the action of the spring 88 to clear the work and the slide.

In initiating the treatment of a length of tub-.

ing containing a conforming arbor or mandrel,

to form an axle such as shownin Fig. 7, for introlls into abutting relation to the end of the bolt 85. This leaves a section from B to the end of the tube A extending beyond the working surfaces of the rolls.

Theroll'88 is gradually fed downward by turning the bushing 28 and power is applied to the rolls 2| and 22 to rotate the rolls and therethrough rotate the work and upper roll. When an axially arcuately-concave channel of desired depth has been rolled (Fig. 8), the housing 58 is rocked out of. alignment with the work and the bolt 84 is shifted to align the extremity of the arm 84a with the end of the work A. The lever 11 is rocked to shift the slide 18 outward so that the weighted lever 48 slidesdown the incline 18 onto the lower rest 15, thereby turning the ring 4| and skewing the rolls 2|, 22 and 38 so that the rolling pressure of their spheroidal surfaces is applied diagonally of the axis of the work, which is thereby fed through the mill and rolling pressure is applied along a helical path around and along the work so that the channel is elon- I at the position C.

The arm 84a is then swung out of alignment with the work by rocking the bolt 84 and the bolt 85 is retracted until the handle 88 lies at the rear end of its slot 85. The housing 58 is then rocked into alignment with the work. The top roll 88 is raised and the work A advanced into abutment with the stop formed by the end of the bolt 85. The roll 88 is again fed downward, and the rolls begin rolling an arcuately concave annular channel having a shoulder at the position D spaced from the shoulder at the position C. The depth of the channel rolled at D may be greater, less or the same as the depth of the channel from B to C. When the channel is of desired depth, the housing 58 is rocked out of alignment with the work and the-lever 11 is rocked to move the slide'18 into roll-skewing position.

The work A is again fed forward by the diagonal rolling pressure of the rolls until the end 4 I aaeaoer oi the tube A abuts against the lever 88. which is manually lifted into the plane of the work and is rocked by the latter to shift the slide 13 into roll-straightening position (Fig. 11) and form a curved annular shoulder at E.

The lever 88 is then depressed, the lever 88 is rocked inward, the roll 38 is elevated and the work is advanced into abutment with the stop II. The roll 36 is then fed downward to cause the rolls to roll a channel with a shoulder at F, and, when this channel is of desired depth, the lever 11 is rocked to skew the rolls. The work is thereupon caused to creep forward by the diagonal pressure of the spheroidal surfaces of the rolls until the forward end of the work rocks the lever 9| and moves the slide 13 into roll-straightening position, thereby causing the rolls to roll a curved annular shoulder at G. The roll 36 is then raised and the lever 9| is rocked in a vertical plane to permit removal of the work, which has an unrolled section between the shoulder at G and the end of the tube.

By suitable adjustments of the stop skewing mechanism and the descent of the roller 38, a tube may be rolled on our mill by the general method above described to form an axle blank such as shown in'l ig. 14 having unrolled end sections flared outwardly and intermediate unrolled sections suitable for wheel hub seats.

Many other uses for our improved method will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

While it is preferable that the feeding of the stock to effect the elongation of the rolled channels be eflected by skewing the rolls, it is possible to advance the work through the rolls by applying pressure lengthwise of the work while the spheroidal rolls are in their straight position and to thereby elongate the rolled channels without skewing the rolls.

Having described our invention, we claim: The method of rolling work having a longitudinal center line which comprises applying pres- 

